The Florida Panthers have an interesting decision to make with their goaltending this summer.
Sergei Bobrovsky, who backstopped them to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025, is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. And, to retain Bobrovsky, the Panthers are going to need to fork over a truckload of cash on what would be a retirement contract for Bobrovsky, per Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.
Speaking of the Panthers, they remain focused on re-signing pending UFA Sergei Bobrovsky, but they may have to start considering who his potential replacement might be if his extremely high demand on an extension doesn’t come down. There are some suggestions that his ask is as high as $42 million over six or seven years.
Bobrovsky, who appeared in 52 games for the Panthers this past season, is set to turn 38 before the 2026-27 season even begins. His apparently desired contract would take him well into his 40s, after what was statistically the worst season of his 16-year NHL career.
The Russian netminder posted a 27-23-1 record with a 3.07 goals-against average, a .877 save percentage, and four shutouts. Bobrovsky also allowed 12.2 more goals than expected, per MoneyPuck, which ranked 90th among the 98 goaltenders who played an NHL game this past season.
The Panthers do not have a single goaltender with NHL experience under contract for next season, with Bobrovsky, backup Daniil Tarasov, and veteran third-string netminder Louis Domingue all set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Tarasov, whom the Panthers acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer, wasn’t much better than Bobrovsky in his 33 appearances, going 13-15-3 with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
If the Panthers move on from Bobrovsky, they are rumored to have interest in St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and a potential suitor for Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck. While Binnington is the more likely of the two goaltenders to move this summer, the Jets could be forced into a decision with Hellebuyck. Kypreos notes that there is a lot of noise around the Team USA gold medalist regarding a potential future trade request.
The Panthers missed the playoffs entirely in 2026 after appearing in three straight Cup Finals. They will be looking to make a run back to the postseason next year with stars like Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk fully recovered from their long-term injuries.
